Director Paul Verhoeven has a long list of American films from his time in Hollywood and here is every one of those movies ranked from worst to best. The dutch-born filmmaker began making TV and short films in the 1960s, before moving on to feature-film work in the 1970s, directing films in his native soil, including a string of films starring Rutger Hauer, from Turkish Delight to Katie Dippel to Soldier of Orange. His last dutch film prior to coming to Hollywood was The 4th Man starring Renée Soutendijk, before working again with Hauer for the medieval action flick Flesh + Blood, which flopped, but gained the director notoriety nonetheless.
The success of 1987's Robocop served to put Verhoeven on the fast track to superstardom, as the film was a massive success and introduced audiences to the filmmaker's signature style, which never shied away from violence or nudity. Having grown up in Europe during WWII, Verhoeven does not shy away from depicting the hardness of life or the horrors of human atrocity in his work. Almost all of his films have received an X or NC-17 rating upon initial submission to the MPA, and Verhoeven has made it a point to push certain limits through each new project.
Following on the heels of Robocop (recently acquired by MGM), Verhoeven released the one-two punch of Total Recall and Basic Instinct, both of which served to solidify Verhoeven as a figure to be reckoned with, teetering on the excessive and always stirring the pot of controversy. Verhoeven hit a snag with Showgirls, a film that seemed to lean far too much into excess without the usual dramatic balance that made his work special. He followed Showgirls up with Starship Troopers, a before-its-time sci-fi adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's novel that also flopped, even though it's now revered as a classic. His final American film was Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon, which had much of Verhoeven's stylistic attributes, but felt like he'd hit a wall in terms of what he had left to say in Hollywood. He has since returned to his roots in Europe, making the films Black Book, Tricked, Elle, and Benedetta.
Showgirls (1995)
Perhaps his most controversial film in terms of the hype surrounding it and the abysmal box-office failure it brought, Showgirls has become a unique entry in Verhoeven's filmography. With a script by Basic Instinct's Joe Eszterhas and the casting of Saved By The Bell's Elizabeth Berkley, Showgirls came off as more of a parody than a serious film. Co-starring Gina Gershon, Kyle MacLachlan, Glenn Plummer, and Gina Ravera, Showgirls had all the tawdry flash that Verhoeven could muster, none of which felt like it earned the infamous NC-17 rating it carried to theaters. By today's standards, Showgirls would likely be a hard R (or likely an unrated streaming release). Rightfully savaged by critics for its cheesy performances, over-the-top drama, and sleazy erotica, Showgirls eventually found new life in the world of cult cinema, where it's regarded as a classic in the so-bad-it's-good category.
Hollow Man (2000)
Verhoeven's final American film, Hollow Man is loosely-based take on H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man, which follows a scientist that is able to turn himself invisible and slowly loses his humanity. Kevin Bacon plays the "Hollow Man" in question, with a strong supporting cast that includes Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Shue, Kim Dickens, Greg Grunberg, and Rhona Mitra. The visual effects were cutting-edge at the time, with Verhoeven's team crafting some awe-inspiring transformations through CGI that made the film a standout. Verhoeven managed to inject his signature touches here and there with violence, gore, nudity, and the like, making Hollow Man more than just a by-the-numbers adaptation, even if that's the most substance that it adds. The director said he felt depressed after Hollow Man was released, saying that it felt like any director could have made it, prompting the filmmaker to pick up his stakes and leave American cinema behind.
Flesh + Blood (1985)
The first American film from Verhoeven is also one of his most raw, unsettling, and brutal films. Taking place in medieval Europe, Flesh + Blood stars Rutger Hauer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jack Thompson, Tom Burlinson, and Brion James in a tale that has a young noble girl (Leigh) become obsessed with her kidnappers, eventually playing them against one another, while locked in the midst of a castle siege. The film pulls no punches in terms of portraying the harshness of the times, including a rape scene, plague-ridden corpses, and the ultraviolence that would become a staple of Verhoeven's style. Flesh + Blood was a box-office flop, but has since found new life and recognition as many of the creatives involved, from Verhoeven to Hauer to Leigh to cinematographer Jan de Bont (Die Hard) and composer Basil Poledouris (Conan The Barbarian) have become more and more popular in the years since.
Basic Instinct (1992)
One of Verhoeven's signature films, Basic Instinct, was a cultural phenomenon when it was released in 1992 due largely to the steamy scenes and star-studded cast, including veteran actor Michael Douglas and up-and-coming actress Sharon Stone. Stone became a household name after the release of Basic Instinct, leading to her becoming a Hollywood A-lister, while audiences flocked to theaters to see what all the fuss was about, raking in $352 million worldwide. Verhoeven's sensibilities are on full display in Basic Instinct, embracing the sex and violence that permeates the central mystery of the film. Basic Instinct challenged some film taboo's about sex, ultimately making a titillating and provocative thriller that viewers showed up for.
Total Recall (1990)
Based on the short story "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" by author Phillip K. Dick, Total Recall is a renowned sci-fi/action classic of the 90s era, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a construction worker who discovers he may actually be a secret agent involved in a massive conspiracy that involves a growing space colony on Mars. Schwarzenegger is joined by Sharon Stone, Rachel Ticotin, Michael Ironside, and Ronny Cox for a gore-filled, sci-fi romp filled with one-liners, gadgets, creatures, and some unsettling (yet clever) effects work, both practical and CGI. Verhoeven crafts a riotous, excessive orchestra of bloody violence that serves as a staple of the genre to this day. Total Recall's classic status was proven even more so when a remake was attempted in 2012 that lacked any of the inspired chaos that Verhoeven was able to bring, showing that the film was due largely to the director's vision than anything else.
Starship Troopers (1997)
Based on Robert Heinlein's 1959 novel of the same name, Verhoeven took the concept of the Starship Troopers book and spun it to be satirical, leaning into the propaganda films of the WWII-era while playing it straight throughout, providing a critque on fascism, while also making a rousing, violent, gore-filled sci-fi spectacle. Starring Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards, Michael Ironside, Neil Patrick Harris, Jake Busey, Dean Norris, and Clancy Brown, Starship Troopers manages to be an exciting film, while also offering a strong social commentary that can be taken in by multiple viewpoints. The bugs of the film were done by Jurassic Park's Phil Tippett, who crafted some amazing creatures that still look as amazing today as they did in 1997. A box-office bomb when released, Starship Troopers has since gained significant notoriety as an outstanding addition to the genre that goes well beyond a base-level sci-fi romp.
Robocop (1987)
Verhoeven's most prominent film will always be 1987's Robocop. Multiple Robocop sequels and a reboot have been made since with none of them coming close to the sheer visceral punch of the original (especially the director's cut). A complex, bloody, violent, and unique film within the sci-fi genre, Robocop feels almost like parody in some ways, with Verhoeven toying with futuristic advertisements and news breaks, which serve as commentary on where society was headed (during the late 80s), leaning into the man vs. machine story conflict in a way that feels more realistic and emotional than the kind of face-value style stories of the era that typically ignored the human journey within the trope. Starring Peter Weller as Alex Murphy/Robocop, Nancy Allen, Kurtwood Smith, Ronny Cox, Miguel Ferrer, and Dan O'Herlihy, Robocop serves as a cultural bombshell, still referenced and revered today with very few films of the genre coming close to its level of visual style and humanistic touch, making it the hallmark of Paul Verhoeven's American filmography.